A Day in Central Park

Hello, again!  I’m Polly from Aunt Polly’s Porch blog.  I am thrilled to be posting my latest project on the Moda Bake Shop today! I hope you like it and find that it will be the perfect set to take with you to the park for a day of relaxation and fun!

 “A Day in Central Park” consists of five easy pieces- a shaggy quilt, a camera bag, an iPad sleeve, a journal cover and a big tote bag to carry them all in!

1 fat eighth bundle of Moda’s Central Park by Kate Spain
1 yard fabric of your choice from this collection for bag linings and straps
1 yard white Bella Solid
4 yards coordinating flannel for shaggy quilt backing
batting of your choice for the shaggy quilt
fusible fleece for camera bag, tote bag, sleeve and journal
4 rectangular 1″ wide gold “rings” for tote bag
buttons for camera bag and journal cover embellishments

Camera Bag-

Press open all the fat eighth pieces.  I carefully stack/align 4 fat eighth pieces on top of each other on the cutting mat, straighten the edge and then cut a strip 4  1/2″ by the height (9″) of the fabric.

Then sub cut that strip into two 4  1/2″ squares.

Put one set of squares aside to be used for the tote bag later.

Take the other set of squares and subcut them into three 1  1/2″ strips.

Sort your pile of strips into sets of 4. Sew these four strips

together to make a block.  I pressed the seams open.

Choose 14 blocks to layout for the bag body,

alternating the direction of the block strips as shown in the photo.

Sew together, press as desired.

Select 6 more blocks to layout as shown for the bag top flap.

Sew them together and press as desired.  

Cut and fuse fleece onto the back of both pieces then quilt as desired. Trim off the corners as shown on the top flap. Lay these two quilted pieces right sides against the right side of the lining fabric and cut around them to create the linings.

(I also fused fleece onto the back of the camera bag lining.)

With right sides together, sew around the top flap and lining. 

Turn it right sides out, press and topstitch around the seamed edges.

Select 4 more blocks for the back pocket, sew them together 

and two more blocks for inside small pockets.

Lay them right sides together on top of the lining fabric and cut out their linings.

Leaving them right sides together, sew around the sides leaving a section open

 for turning.  Turn them right sides out, press and topstitch

 across one edge to be used for the pocket top.

Place the two small pockets next to each other on the bag body

 lining as shown in the photo and stitch around the three sides.

Lay the large back pocket on the back of the quilted outside bag body piece

 as shown in the photo and stitch down on three sides. 

Cut a 6″ by 32″ strip of lining fabric for the strap.

Fuse fleece onto the wrong side of the strip. 

Press under 3/4″ on one long edge and 1  1/2″ on other long edge. 

Now fold in thirds as shown in the photo and press, pin

and topstitch down both long sides of the strap.

I like to topstitch twice… it just looks more finished!

Next, pin the side seam together on the outer bag and stitch.  

Then pin the bottom seam and stitch it too. 

Do the same with the lining, but leave

 a 4″ opening in the side seam to turn the bag through.

Pin the ends of the strap on each side of the outer bag and the top flap

 on the back of the outer bag with right sides together and

 stitch all around with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Now, with right sides together, place the outside bag inside

 the lining and pin all around the top .  Stitch this seam with a 3/8″

 seam allowance.  This is a thick seam, so go slowly!

Reach inside the opening and slowly pull the bag

right sides out, then stitch the opening closed.

Push the lining down inside the bag and pin all around the top edge.

Another thick bulky seam to topstitch, so go slowly!!

Lookin’ good!! Almost done!  Hand-stitch velcro to the bag

 front and top flap to close the bag.

I love to stack different color and sized buttons

 to embellish the top flap as shown!

And Voila!  It’s done!! 

Put your camera, cords, cards

 and manuals inside it and you’re ready to go!!

Tote Bag-

You will use the second stack of forty 4  1/2″ squares you cut already above and you will need to cut 40 white 4  1/2″ squares from the solid white fabric by cutting five 4  1/2″ strips from selvage to selvage and then subcut them into 4  1/2″ squares.

Draw a line diagonally across each print square on the wrong side. 

Layer one print and one white square right sides together

and stitch 1/4″ away on each side of drawn line.  Then cut

 on the line itself and you will then have 2 squares each made

 with one half white and one half print triangles. 

Lay them out as shown in the photo- two separate bag sides

 made with 6 rows down and 6 rows across each. 

Sew the blocks together.  Fuse fleece onto the

wrong side of each and quilt as desired.

Cut 2 lining pieces 22″ X 22″, and

cut three 4″ strips from width of lining fabric.

Cut one of these strips in half both lengthwise and

widthwise resulting in four 2″ X 22″ strips.

Press 1/2″ under on the long sides and

pin onto the bag sides as shown.

Slide one rectangle ring onto the strip at the top and pin in place.

Start at the bottom and topstitch close to one long folded edge-

up one side across the top securing the ring and

back down the other side, thus enclosing all the raw edges.

Do this on both sides of bag.

Take the other two strips and press under 1″

on both long sides of both strips.  Then press in half, enclosing

raw edges and resulting in a strip about 1″ wide. 

Topstitch all four edges of each strip to enclose all raw edges.

Set aside for now.  Time to work on the lining and pockets.

You will have 8 leftover triangle blocks from the tote construction

 and 4 leftover rail fence blocks from the camera bag construction. 

Select 2 rail fence blocks to use for the cell phone holder. 

Sew them together as shown above. 

Fuse fleece to the back and quilt as desired.

Cut out a piece of lining 1″ WIDER than this quilted piece. 

Fold each in half and stitch around across the bottom and

up the non-folded side as shown on both quilted outside and lining.

Turn the quilted outside piece right side out. For hanging strap,

cut a piece of lining fabric 5 1/2″ X 5″.  Fold in half with right

 side together, sew down that one side with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Turn right side out, topstitch down both long sides.

Pin one raw edged short end at top center of quilted side,

 stitch across to secure it with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

With WRONG SIDES together, push lining down inside the quilted outside.

The lining is longer than the quilted outside,

so you will fold the raw edge under twice and pin it down

 enclosing the top raw edge of the quilted outside.

Topstitch around the edge of the lining fold on the outside

 of the cell phone holder.  See the photos for clarity.

Pin the top raw edge of the cell phone strap to the raw edge

 top of the tote bag, about 5″ off center.

Stitch together the remaining blocks to make two pockets.

Use these pieces to cut out matching pocket linings.

With right sides together, stitch around all sides of both pockets

 but leave an opening to turn them through. 

 Turn them right sides out, press and topstitch

across one edge to be used as the pocket top.

Pin them on one side of the bag lining, then stitch around three sides.

Time to sew up the bag sides and bottom!  🙂

Pin and sew around all three sides on the bag outside and bag lining.

Make sure to leave a 6″ opening in one lining side to turn the bag through.

Box the corners of both bag outside and lining as shown above.

Place the lining and quilted bags right sides together

 and pin all around the top seam.  Sew this seam with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening you left in

one side of the lining, then sew that opening closed. 

Pin around the top seam and

topstitch 3/8″ from the edge, making sure the hanging cell phone

holder is hanging straight. 

Now, we add the straps!

Take the finished ends of the straps and slide each through

the rectangle ring already attached to the bag. 

Pin through the strap, enclosing the end onto the bag,

then stitch a small rectangle through this strap right onto the bag.

Guess what? 

You are DONE!  YAY!!

Shaggy Quilt-

This is the easiest item in this project!! 

You will be able to cut two 8″ squares from each

piece of the leftover fat eighth.

(Make sure you save all the little strips you trim off!)

You will need to cut one more 8″ square from the leftover lining fabric

 because you will need 81 squares and you can only get 80

 from the leftover fat eighths.

Next, cut eighty-one 8″ squares from the coordinating flannel backing fabric.

And, finally, cut eighty-one 7″ squares from your batting.

Shaggy quilts are quick to make because you quilt them as you construct

 the blocks!  Lay an 8″ backing square right side down on the table,

then center a 7″ batting square on top of that.

 

Finally, lay an 8″ print square right side up,

on top of the batting and backing squares.

Some people use a walking foot for this next part.  You will stitch through

the little block “sandwich” diagonally from corner to corner, both ways.

You can just use a straight stitch or a decorative stitch.  I like to use a wavy stitch.

You will do this process for all 81 blocks!

The quilt will be 9 rows by 9 rows.  Layout your blocks however you like!

You will sew the blocks together by placing 2 blocks

backing side together with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Then you will sew the rows together-

opening flat the seams as you sew over them.

Assemble all the rows this way. 

This is what the back view will look like!

Next, you will sew 1/2″ in from the outside edge all around the quilt.

Again, you can use a straight stitch or a decorative stitch.

Now, the quilt is all assembled and you are ready

to clip all those raw seam allowance edges.

I use spring-loaded Fiskar clippers and clip every 1/4″ on all

seam allowances between blocks and rows and finally all around the outside

 edge of the quilt.  Make sure you do NOT clip through the seam itself!

Finally, machine wash and dry the quilt! 

Make sure you check the lint trap in your dryer

a couple of times because it will fill up!! 

The clipped seam allowance really fluff up in the

washer and dryer and look like ruffles between

the blocks!  So pretty, quick and easy!

iPad Sleeve-

Remember those little strips you had leftover after cutting out

those 8″ squares from the leftover part of the fat eighths?

Use the pile on the right- the ones that are wider!!

Now you get to sew them together on the long sides! 

Make one piece about 21 ” long, and 2 small sections 4″ wide.

Press the seams to one side or open- your choice!

Trim the large piece to 9  1/4″ X 21″.

Fuse fleece onto the back of the larger piece and quilt as desired.

Cut a piece of leftover flannel the same size for lining!

Fold both pieces in half and cut on the folds to give

you two sleeve outer sides and two sleeve lining sides.

The two 4″ wide pieces will be the top flap to close the sleeve.

Trim the edges as shown. 

Fuse fleece onto one side.

Add a strip of velcro to one side as shown.

Pin around the flap pieces with right sides together,

then sew the three sides with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

  Turn right side out and topstitch around the three sides and quilt as desired.

If you’d like a small pocket on the sleeve front to hold your earbuds,

cut a piece of scrap lining fabric about 5  1/2″ X 4  1/2″,

then sew enough scrap strips together to cut out a pocket that same size. 

Sew around all four sides of the pocket,

but leave an opening to turn it through.

 

Turn it right sides out, press, and topstitch across the top edge.

 Pin in place on the front and stitch it down on three sides.

Next, sew the corresponding velcro on the outside front of the sleeve

 about 2″ down from the top edge.  Pin the raw edge of the top flap, right sides

together on the top of the quilted sleeve outside back. 

If you want a little loop to insert in the top seam to use to pick up the sleeve,

it must be inserted now between the top flap and the back of the sleeve. 

I made mine from a lining scrap 8″ X 2″.  I pressed the scrap

 lengthwsie in half, then opened the fold and pressed the two long

 raw edges in touching the fold line then repressed

 and topstitiched on both long sides.

Place the two outside quilted pieces right sides together and pin then sew the two sides and bottom seams with a 1/4″ seam allowance.  Repeat with the flannel lining, but leave an opening in one side to turn the sleeve through.

Turn the outside sleeve right sides out and slide it into the lining

 that is wrong side out.  Pin around the top seam,

then sew it with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

Turn the sleeve right sides out through the lining side opening

 then sew that opening closed.

Push the lining down into the sleeve and topstitch

 around the top seam, and you are DONE!

I really LOVE my Central Park sleeve!!

And so does my iPad!!  🙂

Four down and one to go!

Journal Cover-

You still have some leftover scrap strips!! 

This time, you have scrap strips about 1″ wide by 8″ long.

The journal book I used for this project I bought at Michael’s

 in their $1.00 bins, made by Mary Engelbreit.

I laid the book on top of a scrap of batting to judge what size to cut,

then decided on 18″ wide by 8 1/2″ tall. 

I drew a straight vertical line down the middle and placed

the edges of 2 strips on that line and sewed a 1/4″ seam.

Opened up the strips and pressed them flat.  Then continued to add strips

one at a time, right sides together with edges matching,

 sew the seam, flip open and press until I reached the end of the batting.

Then do the same in the opposite direction until you reach the other end.

Trim the edges and cut a piece of lining fabric the same size.

I cut a 10″ piece of the woven cotton ribbon with Moda printed on it,

 that was wrapped around the fat eighth bundle, for a bookmark. 

I placed one end at the middle of the strip-pieced cover,

 placed the lining right sides together then pinned and sewed

the two long sides with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Turn the raw edges at each end under, pin and topstitch.

Press well and slide one end at a time onto the book hard cover.

I liked how it looked, but felt it needed something more…

So, I selected 2 scrap strips, sewed the short ends together

 forming a big circle. 

I hand gathered one raw edge and pulled the

thread up to make a cute ruffled circle.

I then selected three green scrap strips, sewed them together

 on the long sides, pressed the seams open and cut the piece in half.

Then folded each in half again with right sides together.

I rounded the corners and made 2 leaf shapes.

I sewed the edges and turned the leaf shaped right sides out and

hand gathered the bottom straight edge of each.

I used a hot glue gun to secure the 2 leaves and the round flower onto

the journal cover and completed it with three stacked buttons.

Yippee skippee!!  All done!

You could use the book for a quilt journal, or a daily thoughts journal,

 or a photography journal or ?????  Whatever you want!!

WHEW, huh??  Five fun projects you can take with you

to the park for a day of fun and relaxation!

one 63″ X 63″ shaggy quilt
one camera bag
one large tote bag
one iPad sleeve

one journal cover

I hope you like these designs and will

come visit Yogi and me real soon at my blog

Aunt Polly’s Porch!

Take care and

Polly Monica

{Aunt Polly’s Porch}

Flowers in the Park Table Topper

Hi!  I’m Tilly from The Quilt Asylum, and our store owner Susan Allen has had the best time playing in Central Park with these fun Dresden Flowers.  Take a minute to see how easy this quilt can be!

1 Charm Pack (40 – 5″ squares)
7/8 yard background
1/3 yd EACH of 2 fabrics for block frames
1/8 yd for flower centers
3/8 yd binding
1-1/8 yd backing

I chose to use Central Park by Kate Spain, along with Bellas Solids in Stone and Yellow.

Easy Dresden Template Set by EZ

**Alternate sizing and fabric requirements using a Jelly Roll or Layer Cake can be found at the end of this tutorial.

Bigger Perfect Circle Templates by Karen Kay Buckley

Select 40 squares from your charm pack.  I usually take out two that are duplicates or contrast the least with the background fabric.  Make 8 stacks of 5 squares each.
Place the Easy Dresden Template on top of one stack of 5 squares, positioning the 5″ line at the top of the square.  You will be cutting 2 wedges from each square, so make sure you leave room to cut another wedge.  Don’t take the first wedge out of the center!

Cut out the first set of wedges.  Reposition the template with the 5″ line at the bottom and cut out the second wedge.

Repeat with the 7 other stacks of squares.  You will need a total of 80 wedge pieces.

I placed all my left wedges in one stack and all my right wedges in another stack.  By working with one stack at a time in the next step, I eliminated the duplication of fabrics in each Dresden flower.

Take one stack of 40 wedges to your sewing machine.  Pick up the first wedge and fold it right sides together vertically, aligning the wide upper edges and pin.

Sew a 1/4″ seam across the top of the wedge.  Continue chain piecing all 40 wedges across the top.

Here are my pieces all chained together.

Cut the wedges apart and clip the folded corners with scissors.



Finger press the seam open.

Turn the wedges right side out and push out the point using bamboo creaser included in your template set.  If you happen to have misplaced your bamboo creaser, a Purple Thang or any blunt-pointed tool will work as well.

Once all of your wedges have been turned, go to your ironing board and press down the wedge points to make flower petals, aligning the seam with the center of the wedge.  Press all 40 petals.

You have enough petals to make 2 flowers at this time.  Divide the petals into 2 stacks of 20, evenly distributing colors and patterns.

Lay out a set of 20 petals in a pleasing manner.

Pin the petals into pairs and take them to your sewing machine.

When sewing your petals together, you want to line up the petal points from folded edges along the long side of the petal.  Place your needle 1/4″ down from the folded edge, backstitch to the folded edge, then continue forward down the long side.  By starting 1/4″ from the edge and backstitching to the edge, you will eliminate those tiny thread “hairs” from showing on the front of your flower when you clip your threads.  The thread ends will be hidden on the back of your flower!

Chain piece the other 9 pairs in the same manner.

When all 10 pairs are sewn, press the seams open.

Arrange your pairs in a circle, and continue joining petals to make 2 flower halves. 

Join the two haves into one large flower.  Don’t worry if the edges of your petals in the center circle don’t line up exactly.  You’ll cover all that up with your flower center.

Press all the seams open.

Sew your second set of petals together in this same manner.  Repeat the entire process with the second set of 40 wedges to make 2 additional flowers, for a total of 4 flowers.

From your background, cut (2) 14-1/2″ strips.  I use the June Tailor Shape Cut template when cutting large pieces or multiple strips of th same size.  The Shape Cut has slots every 1/2″.  Fold your fabric – folded edge to selvedge edge.  Place the Shape Cut with the bottom line against the bottom fold of the fabric.  

Make a cut at the 0 marking to square up the left edge and then make another cut at the 14-1/2″ slot. 

Reposition the Shape Cut to make a second 14-1/2″ cut.  Open up the first fold, stack the two strips together, and cut (4) 14-1/2″ background squares.

Crease a background square lightly into quarters.  Place a flower ring on the background, aligning the four quadrants of the flower with the crease lines.  Pin flower to background.

At this point, you have several options for sewing your flower to your background.  You can hand applique or you can topstitch along the folded edges with your machine.  I chose to use Sulky Premium Invisible Thread and a very tiny zigzag stitch (1.0, 1.0).  I get the look of hand applique in just a fraction of the time!  

I would also suggest that you stitch down the flower center 1/8″ from the raw edges.This will keep everything nice and flat when you add your flower center.

From your flower center fabric, cut (4) approximately 4-1/2″ squares.

You also have a couple of choices when adding your flower center circles to your blocks.  You can hand applique by the method of your choice, you can use fusible web and iron on your circle, or you can machine applique.  I chose to machine applique, again using the Sulky Invisible Thread.  

I’m going to show you a slick way to prepare the circle using Karen Kay Buckley’s Bigger Perfect Circle templates.

The cardboard cover of your Dresden template set has a circle drawing on the inside cover.  It measures approximately 3-1/8″.  Instead of using that drawing to make my own template, I selected the Bigger Perfect Circle template that fit my flower best.  Perfect Circles are made of heat-resistant plastic.

Due to the translucent nature of the template, I could tell that this circle covered the hole by a 1/4″ all the way around.  FYI – this circle measures 3-1/2″ in diameter.

Trace around the circle on the wrong side of your 4-1/2″ squares using a pencil.

Cut out your circles, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Thread a needle and hand baste around the circle as if you were making a yo-yo.  Do not clip the thread.

Take the circle of fabric and your Perfect Circle template to your ironing board.  Place the template on the fabric circle (matching the drawn line) and pull the thread to gather the fabric.

Press the edges with your iron, keeping the gathering thread taut.

After pressing the edges, I will turn the circle over (while still holding the gathering thread) and press again from the front using a spritz of Mary Ellen’s Best Press or sizing.  You can now clip the thread, leaving a 2″ tail.  Once the circle has cooled, you can slightly release the gathering threads just enough to pull the template out.  Tug on the tail of the thread to gather the circle back into shape.

The package of Bigger Perfect Circles has 2 templates of each size.  You can press a second circle while the first one is cooling in order to speed up this process.

After your circles have been prepared, fold and finger press center creases in both directions.  Lay your circle on your flower, lining up the creases with the flower seams.

Pin in place and zig-zag stitch with invisible thread.

Using the Shape Cut Ruler, cut (4) 2-1/2″ strips from both of your 1/3 yard cuts for your block frames.

Subcut each fabric into (8) 2-1/2″ x 14-1/2″ rectangles and (8) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares.

Sew (2) Fabric 1 squares on to the ends of (4) Fabric 2 rectangles, and vice versa.  Press towards the rectangle.

Lay out your blocks as shown and sew the frames to the (4) flower blocks, pressing away from center. 

Lay out your blocks and sew them together.

Quilt and bind using (4) 2-1/4″ strips.

One 36″x36″ Table Topper!

** Alternate Sizing:  You can make these same blocks (and bigger quilts) with a Jelly Roll or a Layer Cake.  The sewing instructions remain the same.

Jelly Roll Quilt – 16 Blocks, 72″x72″

1 Jelly Roll (40 Strips)

3-3/8 yd background

1-1/4yd EACH of two frame fabrics

5/8 yd binding

4-1/4 yds backing

Cutting Instructions:

• Cut (8) 2-1/2″ x 5″ rectangles from (40) Jelly Roll strips for a total of 320 rectangles.  Cut 320 wedges using the Easy Dresden template.
• Cut (16) 14-1/2″ background squares.
• From EACH frame fabric, cut (16) 2-1/2″ stips.  Subcut each fabric into (32) 2-1/2″ x 14-1/2″ rectangles and (32) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares.

Set the blocks 4 x 4.

Layer Cake Quilt – 20 Blocks, 72″x90″

1 Layer Cake (40 -10″ squares)

4-1/4 yd background

1-1/2yd EACH of two frame fabrics

3/4 yd binding

5-1/2 yds backing

Cutting Instructions:

• Stack Layer Cakes into (8) stacks of 5 squares.  Cut the stack in half, creating (2) stacks of 5″ x 10″ rectangles.  With careful cutting, you should be able to cut (5) sets of wedges from each 5″x10″ stack.  Cut a total 400 wedges using the Easy Dresden template.
• Cut (20) 14-1/2″ background squares.
• From EACH frame fabric, cut (20) 2-1/2″ stips.  Subcut each fabric into (40) 2-1/2″ x 14-1/2″ rectangles and (40) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares.

Set the blocks 4 x 5.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial – maybe you learned something new!  My goal is to provide quality instructions while including a different technique, a tip or a trick to add to your assortment of skills.  If you are ever in the McKinney, Texas area, stop by and say hello.  You can also subscribe to our newsletter, view more tutorials on our blog, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.  See you next time!

Susan Allen

{The Quilt Asylum}

Geese In The Park

Hello, my friends! It’s KarrieLyne from Freckled Whimsy bringing you another quilt tutorial!  I have so much fun putting these together for you. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do! 🙂

When I saw Kate Spain’s new line, Central Park, I knew I had to make a quilt with it. This line is themed around nature, so what better block to use than a flying geese block? I came up with a design using a unique placement of the flying geese to create a diamond effect, or if you’d rather, a zig zag effect.

Also, my good friend Leah over at Burgundy Buttons is offering this as a kit at a special price just for you!! Click HERE to get yours! Also, speaking of Kate Spain…you’ll never guess!! She has specially designed a quilt label just for this kit!!  {{insert me excitedly jumping up and down!!}} So, hurry on over before they are all gone!

Enjoy…. Geese In The Park

What you will need to get started:

1 Layer Cake – Central Park
1 Layer Cake – White
1 1/2 yards of (27070 14) for border & binding
1 1/4 yard (27065 14) for 2nd border
4 1/2 yards of (27066 14) for backing

**Please read through the entire tutorial before beginning.

**All seam allowances are 1/4″.

**Blocks will finish at 8″ x 4″. (8.5″ x 4.5″ unfinished)

Cutting:

1.  Choose 27 printed Layer Cake (LC) pieces.  We need to trim these to 9 1/4″ square.

2.  Using a ruler that is larger than your LC square, line up the top and right edge of your ruler with the top and right edge of the LC piece so that only about 1/8″ of the LC is showing. We just want to trim off the pinked edges.

3.  Trim the edges on the top and the right.

4.  Rotate your LC piece 180 degrees so that the top right corner is now at the bottom left corner. Your straight edges will now be on the left and bottom. Using your ruler, measure a square that is 9 1/4″.

5. Cut your 9 1/4″ square. Discard the scraps.

6.  Repeat steps 2-5 for each of the remaining 26 LC printed squares. Set these aside for now.

7.  Gather 27 of the white LC pieces. We need to trim these to yield four – 4 7/8″ squares per LC piece.
**Note: If you want to cut these from yardage, you will need 108 squares measuring 4 7/8″.

8.  Start by trimming the left edge of your LC. Trim just enough to cut off the pinked edges, creating a straight edge. Be careful not to trim too much or you won’t have enough fabric to cut 4 squares. 

**Note: I cut 3 LC pieces at a time to make this step go faster.

9.  Now measure over 4 7/8″ with your ruler and make your cut.

10. Carefully slide the right stack over about 1/4″. Using this newly cut edge, measure over 4 7/8″ and cut.

11.  Carefully rotate the stacks you just cut. We need to sub cut these into 4 7/8″ squares.

12. Trim the edge off again. Just enough to cut the pinked edge off. Not too much. We just want to establish a straight edge.

13. Measure over 4 7/8″ and cut.

14.  Carefully move the stack on the right over about 1/4″. Using this newly cut edge, measure over 4 7/8″ and cut.  Repeat for other strip.

15. Each LC piece will yield 4 squares measuring 4 7/8″. You will need a total of 108 of these squares. 

Making the blocks:

1.  For each printed LC piece, you will need 4 of the 4 7/8″ white squares. This combination will make 4 flying geese blocks.

2.  You will need to draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each of your squares measuring 4 7/8″. 

Place two of these on your 9 1/4″ printed LC square as shown below. Be sure to line up all your edges, and your drawn lines should meet.  Pin in place.

3.  Sew 1/4″ on both sides of your drawn line.

4.  Cut on that drawn line.

5.  Press to the white triangles. Yields two heart shaped thingies 🙂

6.  Place another 4 7/8″ square on the end of each of these heart shaped thingies. Making sure the drawn line begins at the point of the printed LC and falls between the two triangles.  Pin in place.

7.  Sew 1/4″ on either side of the drawn line on each piece.

8.  Cut on drawn lines.

9.  Press to the white triangles. Yield 4 flying geese! 🙂

10.  Something to watch when making flying geese like these. If you have a directional print, they are going to be a bit wonky. Personally I didn’t mind, but if you do, this is how they will turn out. (The trees are all in one direction on the print.)

11. Repeat steps 2-9 for the remaining 26 LC pieces.

12.  Chain piecing during steps 3 and 7 will make this process much much faster! 

13. Once you have all  your flying geese blocks made (you need 105 blocks but will have some extra using this method), arrange them 7 blocks by 15 blocks.

The block in the top left, the point of the “goose” should face down, the next block it will face up, and so on. The next row will be the opposite. Repeat for all 15 rows, arranging your blocks in a pleasing order.

14.  Once you have them arranged how you like, sew the blocks into rows, making sure to press each row in opposite directions so the seams will nest when you sew the rows together.

15.  Sew the rows together.

16.  Cut from the purple fabric, 8 strips measuring 2.5″ x WOF (width of fabric) for your first border. Attach in your preferred method.

17. From the border print, cut 8 strips measuring 4.5″ x WOF for your second border. Attach in your preferred method.

18. All that is left is for you to sandwich your quilt, baste, quilt, and bind it. Oh, and don’t forget to throw it in the wash so it gets all smooshy! 😀

19.  If you want a completely different look, follow the same instructions, but where I use white, use a print, and where I use a print, use white. This will give you white diamonds and the zig zags will be in the prints. 🙂

 This quilt will measure about 68″ x 72″ (before washing).  Isn’t it cute? 😀

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! If you make this quilt, please oh please share it with me? You can email a photo of it to me HERE or you can add it to my Flickr Group HERE.  I would love to feature them on my blog! 🙂

Much Love and Happy Quilting!!

KarrieLyne
{freckledwhimsy.com}

Hugs and Kisses from the Park

Growing up, we visited Grandma and Grandpa each summer and the trip was always filled with lots of laughs and more importantly, lots of love. Our favorite to do was to play at the park across the street with Grandma and Grandpa.  When I saw Kate Spain’s collection of Central Park I knew I wanted to design something inspired by my grandparents.  Grandma and Grandpa would always sign letters to me with XOXO.  My mother explained that it meant hugs and kisses.  I always cherished those little X’s (kisses) and O’s (hugs) from my grandparents.  And that is how Hugs and Kisses was inspired.

Do you have someone you would like to send some Hugs and Kisses to a la Central Park style? Well then pop on over the Burgundy Buttons where Leah has made up a Hugs and Kisses Quilt Kit that includes a bonus!!  Get this… the kit comes with a quilt label designed by KATE SPAIN herself!!!  Isn’t that just awesome?  Hurry over, quantities are limited.

1 Central Park by Kate Spain Jelly Roll
1 Moda Bella Solids White Jelly Roll
1 1/8 yards of Moda Bella Solids White  (or a second White Jelly Roll that you will use 16 strips out of)
1 1/4 yards backing for your Hugs and Kisses Citrus Quilt
1 1/4 yards backing for your Hugs and Kisses Berry Quilt

That’s right… that is all you need to make 2 Hugs and Kisses Quilts, one in Berry and one in Citrus 🙂

Just a note before we start… if you have any questions about putting these quilts together, please feel free to contact me at happyquiltingmelissa (at) gmail (dot) com.  And as always, you are welcome to come by my stomping grounds over at Happy Quilting.

STEP 1 – CUTTING


Grab your Central Park Jelly Roll and open it up.  Isn’t it fun to watch them unroll? 🙂  Now go ahead and divide the 40 strips into 2 piles of 20 strips each.  Here are the strips for the Berry version.

Here are the strips for the Citrus version.

Lay 5 – 7 strips out horizontally along your cutting mat with the selvages over the 0 vertical line.  Trim your selvage edge off.

Without moving your strips, line your ruler up along the 26″ vertical line on your mat.  Cut. Repeat with all 40 strips, making sure to keep them in two separate piles.  (I like to do all of my cutting first, so I cut out the pieces for both quilts.  If you want to do one at a time, cut 20 now and 20 later.)

You should now have 20 Citrus pieces and 20 Berry pieces that are 26″ long and 20 Citrus pieces and 20 Berry pieces that are 17″ long.  Set the 17″ pieces aside.  They will be used later for appliqué and binding.

Grab your Bella Solids White jelly roll and unroll it.  This time lay your strips on your mat vertically, lining the folds up along the 0 Horizontal line on your mat.  Cut along the 13″ horizontal line on your mat.  (This gives you a 26″ piece when unfolded)  Without moving the pieces, move your ruler up to the 21 1/2″ Horizontal line.

If your mat is like mine, you don’t have a 21 1/2″ line.  So here is how to do it.  Line your ruler up so that the first 1/2″ mark is aligned with the 21 inch line on your mat.  Check to make sure it is aligned along that 1/2″ mark between your strips.  And tada, your ruler is on 21 1/2″.

Cut across your strips, giving you two 8 1/2″ pieces per strip.  Repeat with all 40 strips (or 20 if you are only doing one right now).

Lastly, Grab your White yardage and cut 16 strips 2 1/2″ x WOF to be used for sashing.  Or just grab your second jelly roll and take 16 strips out of it.  Set the rest aside for a future project.   For both quilts you should have  (40) 26″ strips, (80) 8 1/2″ strips, and (16) WOF strips.  (If you are making one quilt, just have halve those numbers.)

STEP 2 – STRIP PIECING


***Starting here, the instructions will be for making one quilt (the Berry version).

Strip piecing is a great way to save a lot of time when quilting because you sew your strips together first, and then cut your squares.  To start, take your first 26″ strip and a white 26″ strip.  This is what it will look like:

Match up your pieces with right sides together.  Sew a 1/4″ seam down the full length of your strip.  Don’t worry about pinning, just line them up by hand and feed them through your machine.  If you get to the bottom and your pieces aren’t perfectly even, no worries because I made allowances for that.   Once you get to the bottom of the strip, simply feed the next set of strips through.  Continue chain stitching all 20 strip sets.

You will now have a pile that looks like this.  Clip the threads between each strip set.

Press your strip sets to the print side.  I prefer not to press my seams open when strip piecing; but feel free to press which ever way you are comfortable with.  (I was at a hotel for this picture, so you don’t get to see my smiley face ironing board!)

Now that the strips are made, we can cut them into proper pieces.  Lay your strips out horizontally along the mat. You can do 5 -7 at a time. Once again, I was at a hotel so I had my travel size mat and could only fit 2 🙂  Trim a nice straight edge.

Measure over 2 1/2″ and cut.  Continue this process all the way across your strip sets.

You should have 10 Two-Patch blocks out of each strip set and a little leftover scrap at the end.

Repeat this process with all 20 of your strip sets.  You will need 192 Two-Patch blocks for this quilt, so go ahead and pull out 8 blocks and add them to your scraps.  I just love scraps… mine are going to be mug rugs 🙂

STEP 3 – SEWING X AND O BLOCKS


Now we are ready to start turning those 2 patch pieces into X and O blocks.  We’ll start by making        4-Patch blocks.  Grab two 2-Patch pieces and lay them out like shown.

Lay your second piece on top of your first piece.  Don’t spin it or anything, just flop it over.  You know you have done this right if your white block is on top of a print block.  Pin along the edge where you will be sewing your seam.  When pinning, make sure to line up your center seam first.  Your seams should “nest” together.  Go ahead and pin all your 2 patch pieces ( 96 sets).

Stitch a 1/4″ seam along your pinned edge, making sure to remove pins as you sew. When you are finished with one piece, feed the next piece through.  Continue chain stitching all 96 sets.

Clip the threads between pieces and press.

You should have 96 4-Patch blocks.  Aren’t they fun?

Now we are going to sew the 4-Patch blocks together.  Lay 2 blocks out like so.

Lay your first block onto your second block (just flop it over).  You know you did it right if the white blocks are on top of white blocks and the print blocks are on top of print blocks.  Pin along the seam edge, taking care to line up your center seam first and then the sides.  Pin all 96 blocks into sets of 2 (making a total of 48 sets).

By now you are a master at the next few steps and don’t need pictures.  Chain stitch your 1/4″ seam along all 48 pieces.  Cut the threads between blocks and press.  You will have 48 pieces that look like this.

There is where the blocks take the X and O shape.  There are two layouts for the next step.  You will be doing 12 blocks in the X layout and 12 blocks in the O layout.

Lay your top piece onto your bottom piece.  Once again, you know you have done it right if all of the print blocks are on top of print blocks and the white blocks on top of white blocks in both layouts.  Pin along your center seams (nesting your seams).

You know what is next 🙂 Chain stitch you 1/4″ seam, clip the threads between blocks, and press.  Now your blocks are done.

Next, we are going to add a sashing to each block.  Grab your 8 1/2″ white strips.  It doesn’t matter what side you sew them onto.

Simply lay your piece on top of any side of your block and stitch 1/4″ seam.  Continue chain stitching a sashing onto all 12 of your X blocks and all 12 of your O blocks.  Clip the threads between blocks and press.

STEP 4  – SEWING ROWS TOGETHER


Now that your blocks are all done, you are ready to start putting your rows together.  This is the layout for your rows.  You will be making 6 rows.  First, we have to add one more sashing to the end of each row.

Lay a 8 1/2″ white strip along the edge of your last O block in the row.  Stitch a 1/4″ seam and press.  Repeat for all 6 rows.

So this is what it should look like now.

I like to start by laying my first block on my second block and my third block on my fourth block.  Pin along the two seam edges.  You don’t have any seams to worry about lining up now.  Stitch a 1/4″ seam and press.  Repeat for all 6 rows.

Now your rows should look like this.  Only one thing left 🙂

Lay your sewn together blocks one and two onto your sewn together blocks three and four.   Pin along the edge and sew a 1/4″ seam. Press and repeat this process for all 6 rows.

Now your rows are complete.  Way to go!!!

STEP 5 – FINISHING THE QUILT TOP


It’s time to finish putting your top together.  You will need 5 rows to make the top. Set the remaining one aside.  It will be used in the pieced back.  You will also need 6 of your white WOF strips.  Lay your rows and sashing out as follows.  You will be alternating your X and O rows.  Once you have a layout, I find it easiest to take a picture so you have something to refer to when you start picking up your rows.

We will attach the sashing first.  Lay your sashing strip along the top of your block.  Note that your last row will have a sashing along the top and the bottom of your quilt.  Pin sashings (or you can just line it up as you go if you feel comfortable with that).  Stitch a 1/4″ seam (where the arrows point) and press.  There will be a bit of excess at the end of each strip.  Just trim it off.

So now you are here.  Finishing it is just like when you are sewing your rows together but on a bigger, longer scale.

Lay row one onto row two.  Lay row four onto row 4 and pin, sew 1/4″ seam, and press.  Then lay row three onto your now stitched together row one and two.  Pin, sew 1/4″ seam and press.  Lastly, lay your now sewn together rows four and five onto your now sewn together rows one, two, and three.  Pin, sew 1/4″ seam and press.

Your top is now done!!!  Yippee Skipee!!  Time to move to the back 🙂

STEP 6 – THE QUILT BACK ROW


Grab that row that you set aside and 2 more WOF white strips.  Layout just like you did the rows on the front.

Using the same instructions from the quilt top, attach the two sashing to the top and bottom of your row.

*Now, this next little bit is for applique.  It is completely optional.  If you love appliqué, follow along, if you don’t like appliqué, go ahead and skip down to Step 7

Pick your favorite 13 prints and cut one 2 1/2″ square out of each 13 prints.  Add a 2 1/2′ square of  Heat N Bond to each square.

Cut out the letters for “hugs and kisses”.  I used my Slice machine to cut these.  But you don’t have to have one.  You can draw your letters or print them off the computer, whatever works best for you.  You will want 2″ letters 🙂  I cut out both sets at once since I had everything pulled out.  Aren’t they just adorable?

Take your applique letters and play with a layout along the bottom of your row.   You don’t have to have your’s straight, that is just the way i liked it.  Just remember to leave a 1/4″ along the bottom where you will piece it to the back.  When you like your layout, press to set it.

Stitch around your appliqué letters.  I choose to do a small zig zag in brown.  You could do a zig-zag stitch, a blanket stitch, or even raw edge appliqué.  I am by no means an expert at this, but practice makes perfect 🙂

STEP 7 – FINISHING THE QUILT BACK


Now your row for the back is all put together.  We are going to add just a little extra so that we have some wiggle room when quilting.  Grab 4 more 8 1/2″ strips.  (there will be a few leftover that you can add to your scrap pile).  Sew 2 sets of the strips together, edge to edge with a 1/4″ seam and press.  Then go lay them onto the right and left of your row.

There will be extra on the top and bottom, so try to make sure that you line the center seam of your white sashing along the center strip of your block.  This just gives it a nice finish look.  Stitch your 1/4″ seam, press, and trim the top and bottom of your sashing to be even with your row.

Your row now looks like this.

You’re almost done.  Grab your 1 1/4 yard print for the back.  Unfold and refold it so that the selvage edges are together on the left and right sides of your piece rather than the top (this way your print will be vertical and not horizontal).  Cut along the fold to make two pieces that measure 44 x 22 1/2″.

Grab your row and your two strip pieces and lay them out as follows.

Lay your row onto your bottom print piece.  Your row will be slightly longer, just center it on top of the piece.  Pin along the edge, stitch a 1/4″ seam and press.  Repeat the same process for your top piece.

Trim your row pieces that are hanging out to match the sides of your quilt.  Your backing is all done!!!!  Don’t you just love it?  I can’t get over how cute those little letters are!!

STEP 8 – PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER


Make your quilt sandwich, baste the sandwich, quilt, and bind.  I know, I make it sound so quick and easy.  If you are new to quilting, there are tons of tutorials out there on free motion quilting, just Google it and practice (or just send it out to be quilted)!

Remember to grab your leftover pieces of jelly roll strips to make an adorable scrappy binding.  I just love scrappy bindings!!  If you have never made one before, there is a wonderful tutorial here for doing this.

And you are done!!  Way to go!

If you would like, please upload a picture of your finished quilt onto my Happy Quilting Tutorial’s Flickr page.  I would love to see your finished projects!!

Two adorable Hugs and Kisses Quilts, measuring 39 x 48 each.  One in a Citrus color way and one in a Berry color way.  Go find two people you want to send some Hugs and Kisses to 🙂

Melissa Corry

{Happy Quilting}

Sew As You Go Scarves

Hey, it’s Rebecca Silbaugh again and I’m back for another batch of baking! This time around I’ll be showing you a great way to use jelly rolls and some fleece for quick scarves. You can create many of these to give as gifts with just one jelly roll!

I don’t know about you, but I live in the Snow Belt and it’s cold here. I don’t leave the house this time of year without a scarf on… so why not make it fun to show off your favorite fabrics?

Come on over to my blog (rubybluequilts.blogspot.com) for other ideas and tutorials, even yummy recipes!

  

* One Jelly Roll

* A minimum of 3/8 yard fleece for EACH scarf

* Matching thread if desired (I used an off white since there are so many colors in the fabrics)

* Usual sewing supplies (scissors, rotary cutter and mat, thread, etc.)

* Two rulers (I’ll explain later)

Alright, let’s bake! Also, keep in mind all stitching will use a 1/4″ seam unless noted otherwise.

 

 For an adult size scarf, trim each of your jelly roll strips into 6 1/2″ segments.

 For a child’s scarf (or a thinner one) trim the jelly roll strips into 4 1/2″ segments.

 Mix up all of the trimmed pieces (one batch per size if you’re making both adult and child sized scarves).

Randomly choose three segments (two for child size) and stitch them together to make a block. These blocks will be used for the horizontal striped blocks in the scarf. Depending on the length and style you choose, this will determine how many blocks you will need to create.

Try and mix the colors and fabric patterns to get a nice assortment. I was making a bunch of scarves, so I made many of these blocks.

The next step is to choose your fleece. Like I said I was making a bunch of these for all of the ladies in my family, so I tried to make each one out of a different color fleece. It helps to roll the fleece selvage to selvage to reduce bulk.

Choose 2 segments and lay them right sides together on the fleece a short distance from the selvage, and centered within the width of the fleece. Sew these together along the right edge starting and stopping your stitching even with the fabric edges. Backstitch (or use a locking stitch if your machine is equipped with one) at the beginning and end of each edge to secure the stitching. Trim back any loose threads once stitched on both the top and bottom.

Fold the fabric on top open and finger press into place. The nice thing about using fleece in this step is it basically acts like a design board so it will grab onto the fabric and no iron pressing needed! You can pin the pieces in place until the next piece is stitched, but it is not necessary.

Add a third piece onto the scarf repeating the steps above.

Now grab one of the blocks made earlier, and line it up with the right edge of the pieces already stitched into place. Make sure the lines of stitching are running perpendicular to the pieces stitched already. Stitch into place. Trim your threads again.

Finger press the block open and continue alternating 3 individual segments and one pieced block (starting and stopping with 3 individual segments). For a normal adult scarf, I would alternate 4 groups of individual segments and 3 pieced blocks.

A child’s scarf is similar at the beginning and ending with 2 individual segments and a smaller block to alternate. Depending on the age and height of the child, I would suggest beginning with a standard of 4 groups of 2 individual segments and alternating with 3 pieced blocks. I would then adjust this to the specific child to determine if it needs to be lengthened or shortened.

Once all of the pieces are stitched onto the fleece, top stitch around all edges to finish off the quilting. Since the other pieces were quilted as you went, there is no additional need to quilt further. However, you may choose to do so. Trim any threads once again.

Since fleece is a polyester material, it may stretch and get “wonky” on you (actually it will). It’s just a matter of how much. That’s why I suggest a minimum of 3/8 yard of fleece per scarf. This allows for slight stretching and will allow for more options in the next steps.

Trim the edges of the scarf however you desire. The one shown in the pictures below was trimmed close on either side and left long for fringe on the ends. You can have fringe on all sides or just three sides if you prefer. Some can be longer, some shorter. It’s up to you. If you wish to trim it close, I suggest leaving at least a 1/4″ of fleece around each edge of fabric.

To trim the fringe, place one ruler along the edge of your fabric (you can line it up with the edge of the fabric, it doesn’t show it here but I did it in other scarves and liked the result better). Match the markings even with the dimensions of the scarf. This will act as your guide/ruler in the next step.

Line up a second ruler even with the first, matching the desired width of fringe cut you would like. For this scarf I cut fringe at each 1/2″ along the edge. Cut with your ruler carefully up to the first, the first will stop your cutter from cutting too far in to the scarf. Just go slow and breathe. Do not rush through this stage.

Keep moving along every mark cutting up to the first ruler. Since your cutter is round, it will not cut all the way to the ruler. My cutter is a 45mm and it left about a 1/2″ uncut gap in front of the first ruler. Obviously a smaller cutter may cut closer, but just be careful.

Separate the fringe and you’re ready to be styling in your new scarf!

 

Depending on the size and length of scarves made, the total you can get out of one jelly roll varies. If you follow the suggested lengths I’ve provided above, you should be able to make 11 adult scarves OR 16 child scarves, OR a combination of the two. I have a few options below…

Emma is showing off a child’s scarf made like I demonstrated above. I only used one individual segment on either end to get the right length for her, and trimmed the edges close leaving the ends long with small fringe.

With Maggie’s, I took another option using the child’s size segments and individually sewing all of them on like a piano key border. For this little fashionista-in-the-making, I cut the fringe with two sizes alternating 1/4″ and 1/2″ cuts on all four sides with all fringe the same length, for a different look from her sister’s.

Claire got a traditional adult scarf using the techniques demonstrated. The ends have a small, thicker fringe and the sides are longer and cut thinner.

Mine is the same as Claire’s with longer fringe around all edges. Pair these up with an adorable hat, some warm gloves, and enjoy the snow while it lasts! (I can’t believe I just said that!)

Add some fashion to your winter wardrobe and make some for family and friends! You have to stay warm, but your style doesn’t need to suffer! Included in the printable instructions is a page with other options and dimensions.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please e-mail me with any pictures of scarves you’ve made! I’d love to see them and share the photos on my blog. I’m gonna be cooking up a storm, so hop on over to my blog and see what other tutorials and recipes I’ve made.

Rebecca Silbaugh

Ruby Blue Quilting Studio

rubybluequilts@gmail.com

rubybluequilts.blogspot.com

Fabric Chain

1 Fat Eighth Bundle

3 yards of Fast2Fuse by C&T Heavy Weight double sided fusible.
BasicGrey Painted Brads
Scissors, Rotary Cutter, Mat, and Ruler
Coordinating Thread
Iron



 
Step 1:

Cut your Fat Eighth’s in half lengthwise.

Step 2:

Cut your fusible in strips that measure 2 ½” x 10”

Step 3:

Lay one of the fusible strips centered on your fabric and press the ends in towards the center. Be sure to only iron over the very ends of your fabric to adhere the fabric to the fusible, otherwise your iron may get residue on it from the exposed fusible.

Step 4:

Fold and press the other two ends in just to the fusible.

Step 5:

Fold and press the folded ends over the fusible and press. Your folded edges should overlap.

Step 6: {Optional}

Top stitch along both short ends and down the center. I like to do a double stitch down the center to give it a finished look.

Step 7:

Using an ice pick or Awl and Hammer {Something sharp} poke holes in both ends of the strip. Insert the pointed end of the brads into the two end holes that match up and close the brad off. You can be creative at this step and add just two or three brads or you can add some silk flower embellishments before you insert the brad.

Have Fun!

 

Approx. 112” long